Discover Germany | Special Theme | Recruiting Experts
The human factor Sellke. stands for Personalised Executive Assistant Search, which sometimes means looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. TEXT: CORNELIA BRELOWSKI I PHOTO: STEFAN GRÖPPER
Recruiter Barbara Sellke’s expertise with the knack of finding ‘the right match’ of executive and assistant ranges from family business to corporate middle management to DAX company executive. Recruitment for her is not only an endeavour, it also requires ‘hard work’ and, most of all, a profound knowledge of the sector.
pressive client and candidate list and this year looks forward to expanding her nationwide activity by working for clients throughout the DACH region.
It also entails an excellent pool of classified candidates and, last but not least, a job well done for Barbara Sellke always includes an upfront meeting at eye level. “At first, some people find this odd – but it always works out and saves both sides a lot of time and energy,” she says.“As soon as I meet an executive, if at their office or even for a five minutes coffee on the fly – I know much better who would serve as a good assistant to them.” Obviously, the ‘hard facts’ of the job description count but, in the end, it is the special and delicate relationship between executive and assistant that are of equally high importance. For example, all assistants need to be capable of doing an excellent job, while also representing their employer with competency and confidence. Matching two personalities for a fruitful, trouble-free and trusting cooperation is the Sellke. formula for success. However, her work does not necessarily stop with the signed contract. Over the usual six-month trial period and beyond, evaluation and consulting on both sides are also part of the package as required. Looking back on more than a decade in the field of high-level assistance work, Barbara Sellke knows what she is talking about. “I have met many people and all types of personality, both on the executive and the assistance side.” Having successfully worked in the recruitment sector since 2009, she has built an im58 | Issue 53 | August 2017
Barbara Sellke, Personalised Executive Assistant Search. © Sellke.
The term ‘human resource’ has two important words in it. The ‘source’, from which functioning business relationships ideally derive from, and the word ‘human’. For executive assistant recruiter Barbara Sellke, the human being is the key to success, in both recruitment and business. www.sellke.eu